Destined heroes
by XavionStarSlayer
Summary: Five heroes find out that they were destined to meet and eventually save the world.


**Chapter 1**

Anxanekus trudged down the road towards Drynn. Drynn was a dreary little hamlet but after his last exploit into the elven tombs of Kal'Massir he could use a little time to wind down. He fancied himself a treasure hunter, but other people called him a tomb thief. How could you steal from the dead though?

In that temple he had almost met his end. The spirits in there were most unhappy about his plans to steal their ancient artifacts, but what did he care for the wishes of some long dead spirits? It was the old priest who had set him up. He knew he didn't like that guy from the moment he met him. Of course the guy hadn't liked him either. Then again most people didn't like him from the moment they met him for the simple fact of what he was. Anxanekus is a hexblade. Hexblades are people born with sorcerous powers particularly useful for cursing their opponents in battle. As a matter of fact his powers could do little else besides curses. Unfortunately for him because of the nature of his powers people distrust and fear him much more than your average wizard or balor for that matter. To make matters worse you can always tell a hexblade from the ways their eyes continuously glow a soft purple.

So he would travel to Drynn stay the night and in the morning go back and kick that old priest's ass. He paused for a moment listening for the sound of the river. He learned when he was a child that if you followed the river it would lead you on a more direct route to Drynn. He couldn't really call it a river; it was both too narrow and too shallow. It was more of a ridiculously long stream. It trickled its way across more than half of the continent.

He wandered in the general direction of the sound until its source came into view. He gazed into the water and into the eyes of his reflection. How he hated those eyes. His eyes. His life would be much simpler if he wasn't cursed with theses curses. He could've settled down with some woman. After all he was a pretty attractive man. One look at those eyes and any woman in their right mind would recoil in fear.

Without those damned eyes he could have any woman he desired, really. He had a muscular frame, strong cheek bones, no major scars on his tan skin. He wasn't exceptionally tall but neither was he short. He had very dark hair and bathed regularly. He could defend his household with ease, and without using his curses. What more could a woman want?

What he wouldn't give to just be average.

'You mean boring,' he thought to himself. 'Why would you want to be common and boring?'

He shifted his pack on his back and continued walking following the "river". He kept all his treasure hunting equipment in his pack. Rope, lock picks, flint and steel, torches, and an assortment of bottles and jars. Also his sword hung on his back beneath the pack. He shifted again as the weight of the pack caused his sword to dig uncomfortably into the small of his back. Suddenly his foot went into the ground. As in went through. And the rest of him followed tumbling down into a hole of some sort. Some one had apparently dug a large hole and covered the top of it with grasses and sticks.

"I can't believe I fell for the old covered up hole trick," Anx remarked rubbing his head. "Now who would build something like this and why?"

"I believe I know the answer to both of those questions," a woman's voice said from the outside of the hole. He couldn't see the voices owner but it sounded all too familiar. She peered down into the hole revealing herself as the woman he knew as Akemi.

Akemi was his best childhood friend. He had not seen her in years. His mother had been very poor after his father died. After his powers manifested themselves she was the only person in the village who wasn't happy to see him go. He did it to take the burden of providing for the both of them off of her. He left his home town to stay in an Order of all places. Orders are places where paladins are trained. There he met the girl Akemi. She was a sweet young girl who had been sent to the order as soon as she developed the powers of a holy knight: a Paladin. Only, she was the first female to have the ability in decades. Two almost polar opposites they became the best of friends. Until the day for Akemi to become a true paladin came. She had to leave to go one a holy quest. Anxanekus left the order to find his own place in the world. He could never become a paladin like her. Hell, he was like the opposite of a paladin.

"Holy crap, Akemi! What are you doing here?"

"Looks like I am helping you out of that hole," she replied. "Do you have any rope? I could tie it around a tree and you can climb out."

He opened his backpack and tossed her up the length of rope. She disappeared a moment and then returned to edge motioning for him to climb. His powerful muscles easily pulled his body weight out of the hole.

As soon as he was on the edge he threw a leg over and looked around. He saw many cloaked figures standing all around them.

"Friends of yours, Kimmy?" Anxanekus gulped.

"I am afraid we just met."

They said nothing as they closed in on the pair of reunited friends, drawing weapons of all types.


End file.
